HONESDALE, Pa. — Bruce Willis is stepping away from acting at 67-years-old.
The career move comes as Willis' family announced he was diagnosed with aphasia.
Dr. James Cruse from Wayne Memorial Community Health Center explains what the medical condition is.
"Aphasia is difficulty speaking. Either difficulty finding words or difficulty producing words," said Dr. Cruse.
Aphasia can affect the way a person expresses language and understands it.
Dr. Cruse says cases of the illness stem from neurological changes in the brain.
Strokes resulting in brain damage are the number-one cause.
Tumors and head injuries can lead to it, too.
But Dr. Cruse says you can't just wake up one day with it without prior cause.
"This is not really something people should be worrying about or wondering, do I have aphasia. It's usually pretty obvious," he explained. "If you are having trouble speaking, slurred speech, garbled speech, usually something is wrong, and people usually seek out treatment pretty quickly."
Dr. Cruse says aside from speech, the brain disorder can also lead to difficulty reading and writing.
This can make anyone's job difficult, including those who need these skills to get the job done.
"They need to be able to speak and not mess up on lines or miss words, so this would definitely impact an actor's ability to work," Dr. Cruse said.
The National Aphasia Association estimates two million Americans are affected by the illness.
There is currently no cure for aphasia.
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